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Warbler Wednesday

My apologies to you all. I have to interrupt your regularly scheduled blog post, (which is about the Blessing of the Fleet), in order to show you who passed through late this afternoon.

We’ve experienced some weird weather this month, with fronts coming through every week. With each front has come a group of migratory birds. They are most active between 4:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. This afternoon, a huge flock blew in on the breezes of the frontal system. And it’s such a phenomenally fantastic event for me, because I didn’t get to go down to the oak chenier on Grand Isle for the annual spring migration and walk the woods like I usually do. But the really cool thing is that I have oak trees on my land, and for some odd reason, these birds prefer oaks over the other species that grow here.

Male Rose Breasted Gros Beak

Of course there were the usual migrants like grosbeaks, but this time, there was a multitude of teeny, tiny, warblers like I’ve never seen. There are at least 46 different species of warbler, which are so hard to identify, that I never really took that much interest. (Yes, I’m a lazy birder.) Besides, they are SO small and they flit about SO much, that they’re almost impossible to photograph.

What with my 300 zoom lens on the fritz, I’ve been frustrated about not being able to photograph the migrants, anyway. But today, I was so overwhelmed with the sheer numbers of warblers and so ashamed of my lack of experience in positively identifying them, that I took the challenge.

First, I had to watch the branches and leaves very closely through the binoculars, for among all those green leaves were these feathered jewels flitting this way and that, teasing and provoking me. Then I had to slowly switch from the binoculars to my camera, without scaring the birds away. Because my camera lens doesn’t magnify as highly as the binoculars do, it was very difficult to spot the birds through the view finder. So, most of the shots were similar to a “shot in the dark” or a “point and shoot” method.

It wasn’t until I got to my computer, uploaded all 100 photos, and went through them one by one, zooming in with the photo-editing software, that I was able to get a closer look that these beauties.

And if I must say so myself, it was very rewarding. And I’m very proud to share those results with you now! (I apologize for the photo quality–lack of proper zoom lens.)

Sit back and enjoy the show!

Magnolia Warbler 1

Magnolia Warbler 2

Magnolia Warbler 3

Magnolia Warbler 4

Magnolia Warbler 5

Hooded Warbler (male)

Hooded Warbler (female)

Chestnut-sided Warbler 1

Chestnut-sided Warbler 2

Chestnut-sided warbler 3

Black and White Warbler 1

Black and White Warbler 2

Black and White Warbler 3

Black and White Warbler 4

Yellow Warbler

And then there was this amazing creature, and I just had to include him in this photo album. He’s bigger than a warbler, and that is why his photo is much more in focus. Isn’t he just the most exquisite bird you’ve seen in a while?

Juvenile Summer Tanager

Oh, I know that some of you would rather be reading about the boat blessing or the opening of shrimp season, but I will get to those topics eventually. But this evening, visions of warblers are still dancing in my head, and in order to get them out of my head, I had to share them with you!

I actually saw the littlest humming birds I ever saw darting in and out of all the Satsuma and orange blossums. At first I thought they were the biggest bees….LOL. Never really thought of them getting in fruit tree blossums. Seriously, the two of ’em were not as big as a silver dollar. Made me consider putting out a feeder.

I am not a bird watcher. The birds come by the house for the cracked corn so plenty show up. I have even seen a couple of those blue buntings you talked about before. But mine are common, Cardnals, Blue Jays, Mocking Birds, 3 different types of Doves, Golden Grackels, etc… And last week we saw our yearly tagged pigeons, one looked like it was carrying a capsule. I think I have mentioned them stopping here before. I know nothing unusual about pigeons.

BTW if anyone knows how to get rid of sparrows I would appreciate a heads up. I have used flashing lights, noise, fake owls, alumnium plates, I even tried spraying their nests with poison earlier this year to discourage their nesting. The deck and elevator stay nasty! I don’t mind the birds, only their choice of toilet areas!

I hate to tell you, but it’s pretty much a lost cause. If you’re feeding birds, you have to stop. If you aren’t and you simply have natural food they like… well… People in the covered sheds in the marinas where I work go absolutely crazy because of them. They try everything. They even got one of those electronic things that makes noise like a sparrow being dismembered and eaten alive. Nothing has worked yet. Have you thought about moving? 😉

You are so lucky! I’d love to view a migration like this from year to year. We’re in peak migration here also but we don’t get waves of birds because they don’t have water to cross to get here. They get here little by little. We also don’t get all the colorful warblers and etc. that you get. Our most colorful so far this year are hooded and scott’s orioles and yellow warblers. I hope there will be some stragglers there in a few weeks.
P.S. New gar earrings being listed in the next few days…

When you were at Baker Brush I was living five miles from you at my lake house on Lake D’Arbonne. (1977 til 1988.) I knew Harold Robertson, but we were not close friends. Small world. Robert Kavanaugh, Dallas, Texas

OH whoa, wait a minute! Can you refresh my memory? Did I know you? Did you also work at Baker Brush? I remember Harold walking around blowing a duck call all the time. Little did I know he was trying out the duck calls for his brother, Phil!!!!!

Louise, these birds are just passing through on their way to places like northern American and southern Canada. They don’t stay but a few hours, and they’re off and flying! We have all the common birds like red-winged black birds, cardinals, Carolina wrens, sparrows, etc. that stay year-round like yours.

I love, love, love these!! We get a group through here each year in late spring or early summer that are all different colors. They leave our vehicles in a terrible mess and can do it in less than an hour! But, I still like watching them.

I don’t see your “hooded” oh, I mean yellow warbler photo posted on your blog, lol… Uh huh… ROFL. You did good identifying the birds…no need to be shameful of not knowing…that’s how we ALL learn…look, listen, research and identify…chalk it up to experience now my friend! 🙂 Next “fallout” you’ll be an expert! lol…

Somehow, my yellow warbler didn’t make it into the copy process. Thanks for pointing that out, and I will go back and add it. And I told you already, I KNEW THAT WAS A YELLOW WARBLER, but I was so busy copying and pasting and trying to put these photos up on three sites that I made a boo boo. What I do appreciate is your pointing out my typo. I was so excited when I spied the yellow warbler, and the red stripes were very distinctive through the binoculars. The Captain couldn’t figure out why I was so excited because he said all the yellow ones looked the same to him!!! I will never be a warbler expert, because in all the years I’ve been watching for them in my woods, this is the first year so many have stopped by. I’m still hoping for a visit from the Northern Parula and the Cerulean! (Saw my first hooded, worm-eating, red-eyed vireo, and oven birds on GI.)

When I was a kid lived on 20 acres of cleared and grassed yard. Each year 100’s and 100’s would show up. They don’t anymore. Pop said it was because of all the plants built on the river now as well as all the pesticides aerially applied. Sort of miss them.

Hi GC, well, they don’t live here, they only pass through here on their way from Mexico, etc. back to northern America and southern Canada. That’s why we have to watch for them in order to see them because they don’t stay long!

Adorable creatures. Marvelous pictures. We’ve had some pass through my yard lately. We used to have loads more but with so much building of houses going on now, I guess they don’t feel safe. I don’t either!

When we first moved here there were a lot of wild parakeets around. Back then, I thought the little colorful ones were the babies. Duh.

Ah Blufloyd, hope that the visits get you straightened out. I do love our chiropractor.

I saw a hummingbird today thru the back window at the feeder. I didn’t get a chance to really watch it because I was busy all evening canning pickles. Sunday, I hope to get the case of blueberries turned into jelly.

We have a big bbq planned tomorrow at our sons and I have to fix the deviled eggs and stuffed peppers. It is going to be a busy weekend.

Oh, I am so jealous. As I’ve said before, we don’t have the cover for songbirds, and while I have plenty of herons, egrets, and such, that’s about it. I laughed at Foamheart’s comment about the sparrows. If it weren’t for sparrows, pigeons and bluejays, I’d not have anything at my feeder at all!

In the fall, do the birds gather in the cheniers before heading south? I had hoped to get over there for the “fall-out” this spring but didn’t make it. Maybe I could do that in the fall if I planned for it.

No one ever talks about them gathering in the chenier for one last meal before taking off, but that makes sense to me. I do some of these birds passing through my yard in the fall. Couple years ago, there was a small flock of painted buntings, and they were heading south, no doubt, because it was September, I think. So, yes, they do pass through going south, but catching them at the right time might be difficult.